Dental instrument.



C. H. WAKE.

DENTALv INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I7. 1918.

Patented Dec. 31,1918.

nu bu e00 STS CHARLES H. WAKE, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

DENTAL INSTRUMENT.

Application filed May 17, 1918. Serial No. 235,126.

I? all w/rom [1- may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. WAKE, a citizen of the United States. residing at Los Angeles. in the county of Los Angele and State of California, have invented a new and useful Dental Instrument, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a dental instrument for use in cleaning and polishing the teeth and massaging the gums. one of its objects being to provide a simple and compact instrument of this character which can be used as a kuroris or cotton carrier for holding a wad of cotton, and also as a means for holding rubber polishing pins, a small brush, and like devices.

It has been necessary, heretofore, to use two or more separate instruments for the purposes above enumerated and it is an object of the present invention to substitute a single instrument in lieu thereof.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the part without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the instrument.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the jaws of the device.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 1 designates a loop formed of spring wire and constituting the handle of the instrument and extending from this loop are parallel members 2 forming the stem of the instrument, these members being fastened together close to the loop by a band 3, or in any other desired manner. The free ends of the members are bent at angles to form opposed jaws, the inner or active faces of these jaws 4 being formed with longitudinal grooves 5. One edge of each jaw can be toothed or serrated as shown at 6. A sleeve 7 is slidable on the members 2 and these members are spread apart near the jaws 4, as shown at 8. The sleeve 7 when engaging the members 2 close to the jaws will hold said jaws in engagement with an object placed therebetween and the sleeve will be held in this holding position by the spread portions of the members 2, as shown in Fig. 1.

Any suitable object can be held between the jaws. For example a wad of cotton C can be grip ed there'between and the instrument use as an ordinary kuroris. Under other conditions pegs of rubber, cork, or the like can be placed between the jaws, in which event the teeth or serrations 6 will bite into the material and prevent the peg from becoming displaced relative to the instrument. The jaws can also be used to grip the shank of a small brush to be used in brushing over and between the teeth.

While the part 1 is to be used as a handle it can also be employed as a tongue scraper. The free ends of the members 2 forming the jaws 4 are preferably extended at angles of approximately 45, as shown.

What is claimed is A dental instrument comprising a stem formed of separate members, a sleeve slidable thereon for holding the members pressed together, jaws extending at an angle from the respective member of the stem, said jaws being 0 positely disposed and having longitudina angular grooves in their inner faces coiiperating to hold a peg longitudinally of the jaws, and teeth along one edge of each jaw for biting into an object held within the grooves and between the jaws.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. WAKE.

Witnesses Im V. Pom, ELEANOR M. Bacon. 

